Haven Marina Motel

The messages after check-in set a sour tone: I got four long texts listing possible extra charges and saying there’d be no cleaning during the stay. They came across more like threats about fees than useful information. The “secure” entry was also often left open by cleaners, which defeats the point of controlled access and made the place feel unsafe. The room itself was dirty, with black mould stains in several spots. The hotel is badly dated and run down, and furniture was worn or broken. The toilet and shower both had problems and didn’t work properly. Poor maintenance throughout made the stay unpleasant. I wouldn’t come back or recommend it.

Only thing going for this place was the marina view. The balcony was grotty, the carpet felt sticky, and the place smelled old. Getting in was unclean too. Our bed was broken, there were hairs in the bath, and there wasn’t even a kettle. The laundry was out of order. We stayed two nights and got no cleaning service or fresh towels. Worst place we’ve stayed.

The staff member was friendly both when we checked in and checked out, but the room was a letdown. I’d stayed here years ago and thought it was good, so this visit was especially disappointing. It badly needed cleaning: grimy door edges, filthy carpet, sticky bench tops, and bits of trim and skirting missing or left unpainted. Outside, the place was in disrepair, with rotten timber rails on the stairs and crumbling, damaged concrete on the balconies. In the bathroom, glass shower doors had been replaced by a rusty rod and curtain, and the shower handles had no nuts to hold them on. The TV was smaller than the one in my caravan, hadn’t been scanned in, kept pixelating, and wasn’t even connected to the AV cable. I don’t think I need to say more about the experience.

Location and on-site parking are the only real pluses. The property looks as if it hasn’t had meaningful maintenance in decades. There was suspicious-looking water damage on the ceiling, serious damage to the desk cupboard that had been left alone, and a bathroom that seemed close to falling apart. “No Smoking” signs were up, but cigarette butts covered the ground, so the outside clearly wasn’t being looked after either. From the car park, the pool also looked unusable, with tiles missing. I couldn’t recommend staying here. Put the extra $20 toward a more modern, better-kept place.